Friday, August 23, 2013

Music in the News: Kim Seybolt

Kimberly Seyboldt, owner of Let's Play Music in Windsor, poses
Thursday in her teaching room in her home. Let's Play Music seeks to
teach kids music fundamentals culminating in being able to compose
music. / Sam Noblett/The Beacon

Kimberly Seyboldt has a passion for music, and she shares that
passion by taking elementary school-aged children and turning them into
composers at her Let’s Play Music business.

Seyboldt
has operated Let’s Play Music in Windsor for six years after moving to
town from Tucson, Ariz. She has since grown her home-operated business
from just four students in the first year to 34 musical learners in the
program currently.

"What sets Let’s Play Music apart from normal music lessons", Seyboldt said, "is its interactivity."“She
teaches them difficult music theory concepts through song and dance,”
said Amy Brown, a pianist and mother of three children who have been
through the program. “They don’t even realize that they’re learning it.”

The learning takes place through a structured program based in the
teachings of music masters Zoltán Kodály, Carl Orff and Émile
Jaques-Dalcroze.

Seyboldt
teaches the principles of Kodaly through the association of sound to
body by using hand symbols to teach the solfège symbols. These are the
set of ascending notes commonly known as do, re, mi, fa, sol, la and
ti.

Orff’s
teachings are learned via instrument with the progression of percussion,
voice, tone bells and piano. The Dalcroze principles are used to teach
rhythm through movement, which the Let’s Play Music curriculum does
through with puppet shows set to classical music.Taking
classes every week, students are enrolled in the program for three
years, which mimics the school-year schedule. It culminates when the
students compose their own song at the end through the use of the
various instruments they have learned, including voice.One
focus of Seyboldt’s teachings, and the one she believes is most
important, comes through strong parent involvement. Parents are asked to
come to lessons every other week for the first year and then to move to
once a month in the second and third.A
lot of the success is due to the parents and what the kids do at home,”
Seyboldt said. “I feel lucky to have dedicated parents.”